Everything But the Rain
by Dell Hopkins
Summary: Disappointment replaced the Vandenreich leader's feeling of annoyance an instant later, and he let out a sigh. It could have turned out so much better had this confrontation been avoided. Then again, perhaps there was still a possibility for the situation to go the way he wished it to. Rated T for Language.


**Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

**7/14/2013: Edited a few grammar errors and put the proper forms of the names. This piece is officially non-canonical now. **

* * *

Rain drops fell upon them as they stared at the sword that had impacted the ground a few feet in front of them. Its owner appeared a moment later, giving them a ferocious glare.

Yhwach narrowed his eyes as he felt a slight irritation enter his body, and it was noticeable in his tone when he spoke a second later.

_"You bastard…"_

His statement brought no reaction from the orange haired teenager, who had pulled his sword from the fractured stone and was breathing heavily. Though there was obvious anger coursing through the boy's veins, the peace had yet to be broken.

Disappointment replaced the Vandenreich leader's feeling of annoyance an instant later, and he let out a sigh. It could have turned out so much better had this confrontation been avoided. Then again, perhaps there was still a possibility for the situation to go the way he wished it to.

At his side, Haschwalth began to step forward. "Your majesty, here we-"

Yhwach raised a hand to stop the blond Quincy, thinking of how to phrase his next words in order to appeal to the Substitute Shinigami's sense of reason.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he started, turning his own attention to the ground. "I do not know how you did it, but… I applaud you for escaping Quilge's jail. However, do you plan on fighting me with your body in that tattered state?"

The leader of the Vandenreich rested his hands on his own hips, and looked up at the teenager, who had cast his eyes downward and was silent for a moment.

"Are you… the enemy's leader?"

He eyed him for a moment before letting out a chuckle.

"Enemy, huh…"

It was clear at that point that negotiations had broken down. There was no doubt about it in Yhwach's since the advice had been ignored. A fight was going to happen, which once more was a shame, but in the end it would still be an opportunity to see if putting the boy as a Special War Potential had been correct.

"Yes, and no," he finally responded with a small smile on his face.

"Don't fuck with me," Ichigo said, his hand tightening on his sword and looking up at them suddenly.

"I'M ASKING YOU IF YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TURNED SOUL SOCIETY INTO THIS!"

There it was. The boy's anger had finally broken through and it was flowing with little restriction. In his eyes was the intention to kill, and avenge what had been done to his allies. Many would call it a dangerous situation to be in, but the behavior was still interesting to Yhwach despite this.

He was in a state that was the complete opposite of Ichigo, possessing a state of being in complete control over his faculties. Admittedly though, he did feel some excitement move through his body as he prepared to speak his next words.

"Indeed I am."

Ichigo's spiritual pressure soared, erupting around him alongside the emotions that were now flaring unchecked.

The boy's recklessness would be the Quincy Leader's definite advantage.

Haschwald spoke up from his position near him. "…Your majesty."

"As you can see… Haschwalth, there is no other option now." Yhwach felt a grin spread across his face as he watched the boy display his power.

"Let's crush him."

The Substitute Shinigami made the first move, surging towards them with both his hands gripping his sword.

_"Getsuga Tenshō!"_

It was an expected attack, one that they had been fully aware of before they had begun their invasion of Soul Society. The data that they had on the teenager indicated it to be a technique of his that acted as signature for him. However, it was a move that lacked any sort of tactical thought behind it at that moment, and thus would not benefit him.

The Vandenreich Emperor quickly activated his Blut, taking no damage from the move. Haschwalth had disappeared from where he had been near him, apparently choosing to stay out of the conflict by moving away from the action and leaving it a one on one skirmish.

That was perfectly fine, seeing as two against one would be an overkill with the amount of power they both possessed.

Sensing Ichigo's location, he acted immediately.

Coming out of the smoke, Yhwach quickly gripped the wrists of the teenager with one of his hands before slamming him downwards. The stone once more broke as it had done prior.

His eyes were still on the Substitute Shinigami as he heard him growl, and try to attack him with an unarmed blow directed towards the face. In a fluid motion, he smacked it aside with his wrist, and brought out his sword in order to strike. A smile once more took his face as Ichigo looked up with now surprised eyes.

In the next moment, there came the sound of metal hitting flesh as he brought his sword down to pierce the throat of the Substitute Shinigami. Previous emotions disappeared from the gaze of the boy as he seemed to stare onward in shock of what had just happened.

Yhwach felt the adrenaline leave his body and he looked down at his fallen opponent. He watched him for a moment as the teenager continued to remain in his defeated state, the sound of the rain once more becoming evident as silence fell.

With a sigh, he began to rise to his feet as he spoke to Ichigo in a tone that only their ears would be able to hear.

"It didn't have to be this way."

* * *

That was the end of it, or at least, it should have been.

A moment later, Yhwach had noticed that the orange haired teenager had still been breathing. He had thought that perhaps they could still have a chance at bringing him into their army, and had ordered it to be done.

However, Kurosaki's Quincy abilities had awakened at that moment as well. This had confirmed his earlier suspicion that this had been the reason of his escape from the jail. Still, it wouldn't be enough to stop him from dragging the Substitute Shinigami back to the Vandenreich castle.

Time, or better yet a timer concerning their forces, was the reason this did not occur, and they found themselves needing to leave much sooner than they had anticipated. However, it did not stop Haschwalth from breaking Ichigo's Zanpakutō in its Bankai state, a fact that pleased the Quincy emperor.

Yhwach had spoken to the teenager one final time before they had left, telling him that he would return for him one day, and that he should heal his wounds until then.

That time had finally arrived.

This was an assignment that he had decided to go on personally. Haschwalth of course would accompany him to deal with any problem that might try to impede their goal. Both of them stood on a rooftop, watching the teenager walk on the streets bellow.

Oddly enough, rain once more fell as it had done during their first confrontation.

"When shall we take Kurosaki, your majesty?"

"Patience, he's brooding. He'll want to find somewhere to be away from everything."

The information they had received had informed them that despite Ichigo's father telling him of his past, he had denied him to fight in the upcoming fight.

Naturally, this had caused a major upset in the mind of the Substitute Shinigami, who had expressed his anger by storming off and keeping his contact with his family to a minimum.

It was a grave mistake for the entire side of the Soul Society. Once more, the advantage went to them.

The orange haired teenager entered a park area, and Yhwach nodded.

"Now we take him."

They quickly moved over to stand on the path that Ichigo took. The rain drops continued to pour down upon them as their target came closer. He had his hands in the pockets of his jacket, and immediately stopped in his path when he saw them.

At first, he didn't show any sort of reaction except to simply stare at them. However, in the next moment, rage entered his eyes, and he quickly rushed forward while exiting his body which fell backwards.

Swords were drawn, though the Vandenreich leader knew that the teenager's crippled blade would be next to nothing in comparison to his own might. Upon the first strike, the difference was significantly noticeable.

He struck quickly, watching the sword break once again, leaving Ichigo holding the shattered weapon's handle. This seemed to spur on another wave of anger, as he quickly tossed it aside, and chose to fight unarmed.

Acting in some type of good sport as well as not wanting the fight to be instantly over, Yhwach decided to engage the Substitute Shinigami in the same manner. His sword disappeared, and he found himself blocking a kick to his left side. Just as easy as he had taken the teenager down the first time they had fought, he repeated the manner of it by suddenly grabbing the limb and roughly throwing his opponent a short distance.

The ground broke, dirt and grass scattering around the impact. The Quincy leader waited a moment before he started to walk over.

"Haschwald, keep watch while I end this. Wouldn't want any interruptions."

"Yes, your majesty."

He reached the where Kurosaki had landed, and saw that he lay still, simply staring up at the clouded sky. "I never figured you'd be the one to give up, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Fuck you." The teenager turned his eye to him. "Because of you two, I'm unable to help my friends and Soul Society."

"Because of me..?" Yhwach repeated, crossing his arms. "I recall telling you not to fight us at the time. You decided to ignore my warning and continued anyway. And now, here we are."

He watched Ichigo push himself up to his feet, and saw that a calm expression occupied his face. "My father told me about my heritage and my mother."

"You look so much like her."

It was the first time in a while he had allowed a sad tone to enter his voice. It surprised the Substitute Shinigami, who looked at him with eyes that held a different understanding. He simply returned it with a neutral expression.

"Before this goes any further, I will give you a single chance to come to Vandenreich peacefully, Kurosaki. Do not squander this boon I am granting you."

Silence filled the air except for the patter of rain. Yhwach knew he wouldn't agree. The boy held a personal code to himself, which was simply put best as a desire to protect his friends and comrades that was a strong influence within him. There would be no disappointment from his rejection of the offer, but in a way, it was admirable.

"I... I can't. I just can't."

"Understood."

They both stood, looking at each other in a silent moment, uninterrupted by any other noises except for those that belonged to the weather. Eventually, it would end, and they would begin to fight again. However, it wouldn't be out anger nor a desire to feel the adrenaline rush of facing off again an opponent. They were just two individuals, in a conflict that marked events that affected both their lives.

Perhaps the long millennium had made Yhwach more sentimental.

* * *

**Just a brief story I wanted to write.**

**It could be considered a prequel to my other story "Of Heart and Mind" or just a simple stand alone piece. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure if the Quincy (Vandenreich, not Uryu) can go into the normal world and be seen or not. Perhaps the future will tell.**

**The title felt appropriate due to the flashback chapters. Not a fan of them, but when they end, perhaps something like this will happen.**

**(7/14/2013: See Top of Page.)**

**Thank you for reading, and feel free to review.**


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